Homes plan for sewage overspill village Bishop Monkton set for approval

Plans to build new homes in a North Yorkshire village are recommended for approval, despite residents' fears about the impact on the sewage system.

Developer Kebbell Homes wants to build 23 homes in Bishop Monkton near Ripon.

Villagers said effluent has spilled out of manholes and on to the streets on multiple occasions and additional housing would worsen the problem.

North Yorkshire Council will consider a report from planning officers at a meeting later.

The houses would be built on land at the south of the village, on the west side of Knaresborough Road.

More than 120 objections have been lodged against the proposals and members of Bishop Monkton Action Group have sent images to the planning authority of streets deluged with dirty water.

The group said: "We believe village records clearly illustrate that it is the surface water draining in to the old dual purpose (mixed) pipe network, now lacking the capacity to handle present volumes of clean and foul water at peak rainfall periods, which is the problem, not blockages."

They fear that adding more homes to the network will increase flooding and put extra pressure on the sewerage system, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Yorkshire Water told the council that the overspills are caused by blockages as a result of residents putting excessive toilet paper, fat, oil and grease down the toilet or sink.

A spokesperson accepted that the sewage network "is getting close to capacity" but said the organisation is "taking steps to improve the resilience of the network".

They added: "However, we would not expect a development of this size, with sustainable drainage of surface water, would add much pressure to the network."

Council planning officers said issues with the village's sewer system are "not within the applicant's control and it would be considered unreasonable to expect the applicant to be able to achieve such improvements".

In a report recommending the scheme is approved by councillors, the officers said: "Yorkshire Water advise that the drainage issues currently experienced by the village are Yorkshire Water internal operational issues and that Yorkshire Water has identified the village as requiring improvement, although no definite timescale has been provided."

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